Music

CONCERT PREVIEW: Paul McCartney's 'One on One'

Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney

Maybe I'm amazed -- to quote Sir Paul McCartney -- that the legendary former Beatle, leader of Wings and now a solo artist, will be performing this weekend in central Arkansas.

Of course, McCartney will not be performing solo at North Little Rock's Verizon Arena, although the name of his tour, "One on One," seems to suggest that.

Paul McCartney

8 p.m. Saturday, Verizon Arena, East Broadway and Interstate 30, North Little Rock

Tickets: Some tickets remain, mostly in the $280 lower bowl section

(800) 745-3000

ticketmaster.com

While some notices for the show stated that he would be making his first appearance in Arkansas, they were quickly edited to change the word "appearance" to "performance," since anyone who has visited Walnut Ridge in recent years has learned of The Beatles' brief stopover there in 1964, at the height of "Beatlemania." The four lads from Liverpool needed some rest and recreation and someone flew them to Walnut Ridge, which had the largest airport in the vicinity of a secluded "dude ranch" just across the state line in Missouri.

The Beatles transferred to a smaller plane for the jaunt over the border and you could say that Walnut Ridge has never been the same. If you go there, you will see an impressive metal sculpture of John, Paul, George and Ringo, on a street renamed Abbey Road. And there are other Beatles-related reminders, well, here, there and everywhere, you might say.

McCartney can claim familiarity with the Memphis area, at least. The Beatles played in the Mid-South Coliseum in August 1966 and McCartney and his late wife, Linda Eastman McCartney, and band played the Liberty Bowl in April 1993. More recently McCartney played the FedEx Forum in Memphis on May 26, 2013.

With McCartney's new album coming out, news reports have focused on which Beatles songs never before performed by McCartney solo are now part of the set list, with "A Hard Day's Night" and "Love Me Do" cited.

On June 10, McCartney will release Pure McCartney, a 67-track, four-CD compilation of his post-Beatles work as a solo artist and from his stints in the bands Wings and Fireman.

According to reports of McCartney's April 19-20 concerts in Vancouver, British Columbia, the bass-playing McCartney's band consists of guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, keyboardist Paul "Wix" Wickens and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr.

Though these musicians don't have the name recognition of John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they must be doing something right, as they were also the guys who backed McCartney at his 2013 concert in Memphis, as witnessed by those of us who never expected McCartney in Arkansas (although Ringo did a couple of shows in Little Rock years ago, down by the river at the amphitheater).

And while McCartney, who will hit 74 on June 18, is older than he was in Memphis, no one should be surprised if he puts on a dynamic, rocking three-hour show, which the Internet confirms he is still capable of delivering.

Weekend on 04/28/2016

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